The influence of competitive strategy on capital investment decisions

Abstract:

Various authors have scrutinised the sole utilisation of quantifiable (financial)
appraisal criteria in capital investment appraisal. They argue that the appraisal of
capital investment proposals must concentrate on the capital investment process
as a whole and not only on the selection phase. These authors suggest that
capital investment opportunities and proposals must be sought within the
parameters set by strategy.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore and to describe how
decision-makers in the platinum industry experience the influence of competitive
strategy on the capital investment process. Semi-structured interviews were held
with strategic capital investment decision-makers within a major role player in the
platinum industry. Respondents were selected according to the snowball
sampling method.
An analysis of the results indicates that competitive strategy does influence the
capital investment process. This influence is particularly observable with regard
to the initiation of capital investment ideas, the capital budget allocation and the
strategic appraisal criteria utilised by decision-makers to screen capital
investment proposals.
The strategic capital investment process constitutes much more than just the
selection of capital investment proposals. Therefore, the findings of this study
signify the importance of considering the influence of competitive strategy on the
capital investment process.

Citation:Van Brakel, A. J. (2004) The influence of competitive strategy on capital investment decisions, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1775>

Files in this item

Copyright Statement

Items in UNISA Institutional Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. Items may only be viewed and downloaded for private research and study purposes. Please acknowledge publications according to acceptable standards and norms.